Work on films including House of Flying Daggers, Hero and A Chinese Ghost Story will be discussed on Tuesday 18 September
London/Beijing/Hong Kong, 15 August 2018: The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) will host a masterclass with acclaimed Chinese action choreographer and director Tony Ching (aka Ching Siu-Tung) on Tuesday 18 September at its headquarters, 195 Piccadilly in London. The event is in partnership with Asian Film Awards Academy (AFA Academy), financially supported by Create Hong Kong and Hong Kong Film Development Fund.
The masterclass will examine Ching’s pioneering style of cinematic martial arts for films such as Hero (2002), the BAFTA-nominated House of Flying Daggers (2004), and The Sorcerer and the White Snake (2011). The event will also highlight his career as a director, during which he has aided the development of the action-fantasy genre of Chinese filmmaking with A Chinese Ghost Story (1987). Ching was also the chief action choreographer for the Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
Marc Samuelson, Chair of the BAFTA Film Committee said: “We are delighted that Tony Ching will be in the UK to share his insights with the British film industry, students and film enthusiasts. His unique take on action choreography and stunt co-ordination has influenced filmmakers all over the world.”
Josie Lin, Executive Director of Asian Film Awards Academy, said: “It is our pleasure to present the home-grown Hong Kong action director Tony Ching, whom we had the honor to appoint as the Jury President in the latest edition of the annual Asian Film Awards earlier this year, to the UK audience in our second collaboration with BAFTA. The AFA Academy is always devoted to presenting the best of Asian cinema to global audiences and working with BAFTA is certainly one of the best ways we could opt for.”
Since 2013, BAFTA has worked with partners in mainland China and Hong Kong to deliver masterclasses and international scholarships, engaging world-renowned, award-winning filmmakers, actors and craftspeople to take part, including Johnnie To (co-hosted in the UK with Asian Film Awards Academy), Zhang Yimou, Duncan Kenworthy, Eddie Redmayne, Lois Burwell, Lindy Hemming and Hugh Bonneville. Through such events and initiatives, BAFTA promotes a spirit of open, creative collaboration between the UK and China and encourages cross-cultural exchange.
Tony Ching biography:
Born in Hong Kong in 1952 to famed director Cheng Kang, Tony Ching (aka Ching Siu-Tung) began training in Peking opera and northern style martial arts at a young age. He began his career in the film industry as a martial arts stuntman and action coordinator, then as an action director in the 70s, before making his directorial debut with Duel to the Death (1982), in which he was also the action choreographer. In 1987 his directorial career hit a new high with A Chinese Ghost Story, the hit fantasy that combined an ethereal love story with thrilling action. His directorial output also includes A Chinese Ghost Story ll (1990), Dr Wai in The Scripture with No Words (1994) and The Sorcerer and the White Snake (2011), which was screened at the 68th Venice Film Festival. He served as action choreographer and stunt coordinator on blockbusters such as The Heroic Trio (1993), the BAFTA-nominated House of Flying Daggers (2004), The Warlords (2007), and two installments of hit Bollywood franchise Krrish.
Pioneering a new style of cinematic martial arts that is fast-paced yet graceful, Ching has been hailed for his talent for turning bodies in motion into visual art. He has been nominated for Best Action Choreography 18 times at the Hong Kong Film Awards and won three times - for Witch from Nepal (1986), Swordsman (1990) and Hero (2002). He is also a two-time winner of Best Action Choreography at the Golden Horse Awards – for Dragon Inn (1992) and My School Mate, The Barbarian (2001). Ching was also the chief action choreographer at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics in 2008. He was the Jury President for 12th Asian Film Awards in 2018.
Event details:
BAFTA Masterclass with Tony Ching in partnership with Asian Film Awards Academy
Financially supported by Create Hong Kong and Hong Kong Film Development Fund
18:30 – 20:00 Tuesday 18 September at BAFTA, 195 Piccadilly in London,
Public tickets will go on sale on Friday 17 August at 12.30pm. To book tickets, please visit www.bafta.org/whats-on
Video highlights, a podcast and a transcript from the event will be available post-event on BAFTA Guru, BAFTA’s online learning channel www.bafta.org/guru
For further information, please contact:
Niyi Akeju at BAFTA (UK)
T: (44) (0)20 7292 5865
Jan Pang at BAFTA (Hong Kong)
T: (852) 9180 0886
Sonia Yu at AFA Academy (Hong Kong)
T: (852) 3195 0610
Arthur R. Hagopian / Xiaotong Zhao at SPRG Beijing
T: (86) 10 8580 4258 x240
E: [email protected] / [email protected]
About BAFTA
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) is a world-leading independent arts charity that brings the very best work in film, games and television to public attention and supports the growth of creative talent in the UK and internationally. Through its Awards ceremonies and year-round programme of learning events and initiatives – which includes workshops, masterclasses, scholarships, lectures and mentoring schemes in the UK, USA and Asia – BAFTA identifies and celebrates excellence, discovers, inspires and nurtures new talent, and enables learning and creative collaboration. For advice and inspiration from the best creative minds in working in film, games and television, visit www.bafta.org/guru. For more, visit www.bafta.org.
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About the Asian Film Academy
Asian Film Awards Academy was founded by three main Asian film festivals, Busan, Hong Kong and Tokyo in 2013, to promote and develop Asian cinema and its talents. The AFA Academy highlights, strengthens and develops Asian film industry and culture through the annual Asian Film Awards and several year-round programs including strategies for building regional and international audiences.
Since 2015, the AFA Academy has been presenting year-round initiatives including the Masterclass Series, Journey to the Fest - Student Visits to International Film Festivals, Asian Cinerama - Film Roadshows and Young Film Professionals Overseas Training Program.
With financial support from Create Hong Kong and Film Development Fund of the Hong Kong SAR Government, the Academy has pursued its mission to promote, educate, inform and develop knowledge, skills and interest in Asian cinema among the industry, students and audiences in Asia and beyond. For more, visit www.afa-academy.com
About Create Hong Kong
Create Hong Kong is a dedicated office set up under the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on 1 June 2009 to lead, champion and drive the development of the creative economy in Hong Kong. It co-ordinates Government policy and effort regarding creative industries, focuses Government resources for the promotion and speeding up of the development of creative industries in Hong Kong, and works closely with the trade to boost the development of creative industries. For more details, visit www.createhk.gov.hk/
About Hong Kong Film Development Fund
The Film Development Fund was first set up by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in 1999 to fund projects and activities which contribute towards the development of the Hong Kong film industry, including part-financing small-to-medium budget film productions; enhancing efforts to promote Hong Kong films in the Mainland and overseas; enhancing initiatives to train talents in various aspects of film production and distribution; and enhancing the interest and appreciation of Hong Kong films by the local audience. For more details, visit www.fdc.gov.hk/tc/services/services2.htm
